i have decided to make a plane rack but i dont have a dado set nor any router bits. so i was wondering how to cut dados with only a hand saw and chisels, well mostly will this work or should i just go buy a router bit or a dado set? please help
-chris
Replies
Chris,
Lay out where the dadoes are going to be, scribe the shoulders of the dadoes with a knive, not a pencil.
Clamp a wooden straightedge right on the line, and saw to depth, using the straightedge as a guide, and a piece of tape stuck to the side of the sawblade as a depth guage.
Chisel out between the saw cuts. It will be a great benefit if you have or make a routerplane (the "Old Woman's Tooth") to regulate the depth at the bottom of the channel.
It's not a bad idea to deliberately make the dadoes a little on the scant side. Working by hand means there will be variations in the width of the dadoes; you want the fit to the shelves to be too tight, so you can adjust the shelf thickness at the joint, not too loose, which forces you to fit wedges or shims to make a fit.
Ray
dado doing
Doing dadoes with only a saw and chisel would be possible, but difficult to get them "right". A router is my preferred weapon for this task, since it produces nice, smooth surfaces. For "hand" work, I like a 1 ¾ hp router with a ½" collet, and both fixed and plunge bases. I like the Porter Cable 690 series for hand work, but there are other good brands, as well. I consider the router to be an essential tool.
A word of warning, however. Few regular users of the router have just one. ;-)
i decided to buy a router bit but man they are exspencive 20$ for a 3/4 dado bit i think i will get a router plane soon and a rabbet plane etc. thanks for ur help i will use the hand method for the smaller dados because i like o use my hand tools but thanks
cost of bits
Yep, good carbide bits are expensive, but they last much longer than the less-expensive HSS bits. Whiteside is probably the best, followed by Eagle America, and a few other premium brands.
You don't need a 3/4 dado bit to rout a 3/4 slot. A simple straight bit and multiple passes till you have the correct width will do it.
chris,
do you have a table saw? it is possible to cut dados using a standard 1/8" kerf blade along with the fence and miter gage. of course multiple passes will be called for. you can then sneak up on the correct width according to your shelf thickness. this method is time consuming, but it works.
eef
Eef,
Hope I am misunderstanding you, but, if the OP is as young as his pic, and as inexperienced as he appears from what he writes, I would not recommend he try to cut dadoes with a table saw. Can it be done? Yes. But, I wouldn't think it would be recommended.
Am I missing something?
Alan - planesaw
sorry i took so long to answer
the problem with multiple passes on a table saw is its no cross grain its with the grain on a slight angle. i did buy a router bit a 3/4 and i just bought to day a 1/4 for multiple passes because im using it for the dado in a draw. thanks every one for your help. I think i will post pictures of my project that i originally asked for advise on tomorro. thanks again
chris-
it entered 2 times sorry
it entered 2 times
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